Blog Tour + #Giveaway: Life After Juliet by Shannon Lee Alexander @shanlalexander @chapterxchapter @EntangledTEEN

Book Title: Life After Juliet

Author: Shannon Lee Alexander

Release Date: July 5, 2016

Genre: Contemporary YA

Becca Hanson was never able to make sense of the real world. When her best friend Charlotte died, she gave up on it altogether. Fortunately, Becca can count on her books to escape—to other times, other places, other people...                 

Until she meets Max Herrera. He’s experienced loss, too, and his gorgeous, dark eyes see Becca the way no one else in school can.

As it turns out, kissing is a lot better in real life than on a page. But love and life are a lot more complicated in the real world...and happy endings aren't always guaranteed.

The companion novel to Love and Other Unknown Variables is an exploration of loss and regret, of kissing and love, and most importantly, a celebration of hope and discovering a life worth living again.

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Excerpt:

I’m not sure how long I’ve been back in school. I don’t really do days anymore. Time is measured in pages. I’ve read 3,718 pages since Dad dropped me off on the first day. It’s been 108,023 pages since Charlotte died. I’ve read 150 pages since I stepped on the bus this morning. It’s been ten pages since I thought of Charlotte.

She’s not coming back, and I don’t know what else to do, so I keep turning the pages.

However long I’ve been back at Sandstone High, the advanced literature and composition teacher, Mrs. Jonah, informed me yesterday that I am no longer allowed to “sit like a bump on a log, reading books” in her class. I find this strange, but then, I don’t understand the real world. I’ve given up trying to make any kind of sense of it. Today in class, I am sitting like a bump on a log, staring out the window.

Sandstone is a typical high school, unlike the fancy math and science school on the other side of town that Charlie graduated from last spring. It’s the kind of building that’s been pieced together—add a wing here, convert a gym there, dump mobile units here—throughout the decades as the town’s population grew and it had to be quickly expanded. There’s no one defining style. It’s a mishmash. The kids who go here are also diverse, so it’s not hard for me to fade into the background.

Lit and Comp is a junior course. The guidance counselor signed me up for it at the end of last year. She described it as a lively class full of opportunities for personal and artistic growth. In other words, it’s my worst nightmare. I’ve decided growth is overrated.

Mrs. Jonah’s classroom is long and narrow, with a wall of windows down the side. She’s decorated the wide windowsill with spindly spider plants, stacks of books, empty vintage Coke bottles that catch the sunlight, and a bust of Sir Isaac Newton, which is strange since she’s not a science teacher.

Mrs. Jonah raps on her desk now to get our attention. She stands and brushes invisible lint off her black pencil skirt. Tall and unafraid of wearing high heels, she towers over everyone in the school, even the basketball coach. Her pixie haircut and makeup are always perfect. She’s the most with it human I’ve ever seen.

“Time’s up,” she says. “Please, pass your quizzes forward.”

I’ve been done with my quiz for what would have been about twenty pages, if reading were still allowed in Lit class. I pass my paper to the boy in front of me. He runs his hand through his choppy black hair and smiles. His lips are chapped, and the smiling pulls the raw skin too tight. It makes me wince. I instantly feel bad, because I remember this guy.

Max. He was in Mr. Bunting’s World History class with Charlotte and me last year. He was the only student at Sandstone who spoke directly to me after Charlotte died. He came right up to me in history, cleared his throat so I’d look up from my book and said, “Sorry for your loss.”

I remember I got up and left the room. It was either that or start crying.

He’s still looking at me now. I should say something, something nice, like “Thank you for your condolences.” Instead, I look out the window again.

Max sighs, soft like the riffle of book pages, as he turns around and passes our quizzes forward. I’m used to that sound. It’s the sound of my father when I refuse to put my book down and come join my mother and him. The sound of my mother when she realizes I’ve been listening to the book characters in my head instead of her. Lately, I’m really only safe lost in the pages of a book. Outside, in the real world, it’s like I’m walking around with no skin. Everything hurts.

Author Interview:

What inspired you to write LIFE AFTER JULIET?

I hadn’t planned on writing a companion to LOVE AND OTHER UNKNOWN VARIABLES, until my editor asked, “What happens to Becca?” I knew I had to find out. So I began thinking about her life and what it would look like once Charlie left for college. I played around with a few ideas, thinking it’d be fun to get her involved in the theatre program at her school. I knew she’d make a great backstage crew member. What I didn’t expect was for her to accidentally audition and catch the eye of the director. And I never would have imagined when I started wondering about what happens next in Becca’s life for her to end up playing Juliet.

When or at what age did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I’ve always written for myself, but I decided to finish a novel and try to get it published when I was thirty. I had a good friend who taught me how to be brave. LOVE AND OTHER UNKNOWN VARIABLES is dedicated to her. And LIFE AFTER JULIET was greatly influenced by the impact she’d made in my life both before and after she passed away.

What is the earliest age you remember reading your first book?

It was before Kindergarten. I remember, vividly, waiting for my parents to wake up one morning so I could show off my superb reading skills by “reading” Dr. Seuss’s ABC book. Trouble was, I didn’t fully know how to read, but they’d read it to me enough that I had it memorized. When I got flustered because I couldn’t remember one part and started to cry, my dad helped me sound out the words.

What genre of books do you enjoy reading?

I love contemporary fiction. But I’m also a sucker for fantasy and sci-fi. I mostly read YA fiction these days. Every once in a while my husband will convince me to read a “grown-up” book that he’s just finished.

What is your favorite book?

Nope. Too many to choose! But as a writer, I was influenced by Harper Lee, Alice Walker, the Bronte sisters, Jane Austen, and even Shakespeare.

You know I think we all have a favorite author. Who is your favorite author and why?

Again, I have too many to choose from! But my friends and family know that I’m a HUGE Rainbow Rowell fan. HUGE. I love everything she’s written (both YA and adult). I love the way she can make me laugh, think, and cry all in one page. Her dialogue is brilliant and her characters are the kind that stay with me long after I’ve finished reading.

If you could travel back in time here on earth to any place or time. Where would you go and why?

I actually don’t want to go anywhere. I like where I am now, which isn’t to say there are lots of things we need to improve on in the world right now, but I’m just not a big time traveler, I guess. Living in the past doesn’t sound like much fun to me (I’m spoiled by technology and comforts like indoor plumbing). And I’d be afraid I’d see something in the future that would totally depress me! So, I’ll stay right where I am and leave the time travel to the Doctor.

When writing a book do you find that writing comes easy for you or is it a difficult task?

Writing a first draft is easy because there is no filter. I just write and enjoy the exploration. My first drafts are always too long and very messy! Revising, now that’s hard work. And unfortunately, 99% of writing is revising!

Do you have any little fuzzy friends? Like a dog or a cat? Or any pets?

I do! I have a yellow, terrier mutt named Harriet Potter that I adore. She’s a rescue from the animal shelter, but she definitely saved me. When we first moved to Indianapolis, I didn’t know anyone. Our previous furbaby, Boo Radley, had passed away just before we moved. I barely survived my first Midwestern winter (seven months of gray skies!!!) and told my husband I NEEDED a new furbaby immediately. We adopted her in March, 2012. She’s my writing buddy, hanging out with me wherever I’m writing, but also reminding me to take breaks.

What is your "to die for", favorite food/foods to eat?

Coffee. That’s not a food, but I live and die for coffee.

Do you have any advice for anyone that would like to be an author?

Finish what you start. You can’t edit a story that isn’t written. Know that it’s okay to write that crappy story because you can always make it better. I’d also suggest joining a great critique group. Joining mine was the single most important thing I did to become a professional writer.

Author Bio:

Shannon Lee Alexander is a wife and mother (of two kids and one yellow terrier named Harriet Potter). She is passionate about coffee, books, and cancer research. She spent most of her time in high school hiding out in the theater with the drammies and techies. Math still makes her break out in a sweat. She currently lives in Indianapolis with her family.

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Giveaway Information:  Contest ends July 15, 2016

Open internationally, but prize packs ship only to US. International winners will receive Amazon gift cards (listed below).*

·        Grand prize: Hyperboles are the best EVER! tote bag, a 4oz. Novelly Yours Antique Books candle, Toe-meo and Juliet Shakespearean socks, Life after Juliet poison and dagger necklace, Velveteen Rabbit note card, signed Life after Juliet bookmark and bookplate*

·        1st Runner Up: Hyperboles are the best EVER! tote bag, a 4 oz. Novelly Yours Antique Books candle, Toe-meo and Juliet Shakespearean socks, Life after Juliet dagger earrings, signed Life after Juliet bookmark and bookplate*

·        2nd Runner Up: 2oz. Novelly Yours Antique Books candle, Life after Juliet dagger earrings, Velveteen Rabbit note card, signed Life after Juliet bookmark and bookplate*

·        3rd Runner Up: 2oz. Novelly Yours Antique Books candle, Life after Juliet dagger earrings, signed Life after Juliet bookmark and bookplate*

*All contests are open internationally, but international winners will receive the following:

·        Grand prize: $25 Amazon gift card, signed signed Life after Juliet bookmark and bookplate

·        1st Runner Up: $20 Amazon gift card, signed Life after Juliet bookmark and bookplate

·        2nd runner up: $15 Amazon gift card, signed Life after Juliet bookmark and bookplate

·        3rd runner up: $10 Amazon gift card, signed Life after Juliet bookmark and bookplate

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Review: Dinosaur Lake II: Dinosaurs Arising by Kathryn Meyer Griffith @KathrynG64

Dinosaur Lake II: Dinosaurs Arising

(Dinosaur Lake #2)

by Kathryn Meyer Griffith

Published March 27th 2014

Genre: Horror, Thriller, Suspense, Fantasy

BLURB:

Prehistoric creatures have again invaded Crater Lake National Park

…and this time there’s more than one.

DINOSAUR LAKE II: Dinosaurs Arising

by Kathryn Meyer Griffith

Henry Shore has been Chief Park Ranger at Crater Lake National Park for thirteen years now and thought the days when he’d had to fight a rogue dinosaur that lived in the caves below the lake were long over.

Until one of his park rangers, to save a visitor’s life, is in a deadly struggle out in the woods with a new breed of dinosaur worse than the last one. It’s as big as a man, but this one is a young one. And growing.

Then more of the creatures begin to show up everywhere, threatening people and destroying the tranquility and safety of his beloved park.

A tourist trolley filled with fifteen people is snatched up off the crater’s rim by another version of the younger one…but this one has grown into a giant with fangs, claws and a deadly tail.

And this one has wings.

Ugly Gargoyles, Henry calls them.

For this one isn’t alone.

They’re flying beyond the park’s boundaries into the neighboring towns.

So Henry, with the help of his son-in-law, a paleontologist named Justin, and a band of brave park rangers, and a few good soldiers, must not only protect his park and his people from monsters once more but find their lair and destroy it and them before the creatures kill again. ***

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Dinosaur Lake

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Read my review of Dinosaur Lake: HERE!

Guest Post:

Dinosaur Lake Series Backstory

Of all my 22 novels my Dinosaur Lake series (Dinosaur Lake, Dinosaur Lake II: Dinosaurs Arising, Dinosaur Lake III: Infestation–and coming soon: Dinosaur Lake IV: Dinosaur Wars) has the strangest story attached to its creation, death and rebirth…20 years later…of any of them.

Not so much because, as a few of my books, it took so long to write or publish, but because in 1993 it was contracted, edited and the final galleys had been proofed by me for a 5th paperback book release from Zebra (Kensington Publishing) after 3 earlier novels with Leisure Books. I even had a stack of the full-color, printed and embossed covers; it was only weeks before it was to go to the bookshelves (in those days the brick & mortar stores were still king, no Internet or ebooks). I strongly believed it’d be my breakout book. You know, the book that’d make my career and launch me into the stratosphere with Stephen King and Anne Rice? How wrong I’d be. But, hey, I thought who wouldn’t love a tale of a cunning but malevolent rampaging prehistoric dinosaur living in Crater Lake, Oregon, and the Park Ranger who, along with a ragtag gang of heroes who’d try to stop it? I mean, I’d always loved anything about dinosaurs…dinosaur books, playing with those little plastic figurines and watching old stop-action dinosaur movies of the 1950’s and 60’s…who hadn’t? Apparently someone. My new editor at Zebra.

By 1994, after four novels with them, I’d lost my sweet editor there and a new one took her place…and over the next year he didn’t like anything I wrote for him and later that year Zebra unceremoniously dropped me and my book (Predator…which never came out but still lingers to this very day like some weird ghost book in every computer on the global Internet) only six weeks away from going to the bookstore shelves. When we were editing the book and deciding on the title and the cover, I’d begged the new editor not to call it Predator (his choice as they hadn’t liked my American Loch Ness Monster title), bad title since there was a popular movie out of that name and the movie, with Arnold Schwarzenegger, was nothing about a dinosaur, and the cover was awful, an empty boat on a lake…what!!! Having that book-my first ever-dumped like that was a crushing experience, let me tell you. I had a stack of finished, printed covers and my final edits were done! But nothing my agent or I could say or do would change their minds. They said they were cutting their horror lines and setting adrift a lot of their mid-list horror authors because horror (in 1994) was on the decline. The new editor-that-didn’t-like-my-writing explained: “And no one wants to read a book about a dinosaur.” Yeah, sure. And six months later Jurassic Park the book came out! We all know how that story ended, don’t we? People loved the book, the movies; they loved dinosaurs.

I’ll never know the real reason they cut the book but that male editor never bought another book from me…which was another weird thing because when I’d met him in New York (I went for a Horror Convention) in the summer of 1993 he’d taken my husband and I out to lunch and gushed over me and said how much he’d loved my last release WITCHES. Hmmm.

Anyway, I got to keep my advance but the book was officially dead. It never came out. I grieved. I was so disgusted I stashed it in a drawer somewhere and tried to forget it. Until now. After I’d finished revising and rereleasing all my new/old 15 books (and besides paperbacks they’re in ebooks for the first time ever) from Eternal Press/Damnation Books in June of 2012 I remembered about my American Loch Ness Monster novel, took it out and reread it.

Whoa, like a lot of my older novels now years later I could see what was wrong with it and how to fix it. Back then I hadn’t seen the head-hopping I did or the awkward phrasing, stiff or overly dramatic dialogue, repetitive words and other things I’ve learned since to recognize and stay away from. Of course, computers help make the editing so much easier. I think I’d done the original book on my electric typewriter. Anyway, telling myself the dumping of that book had been a turning point in my writing life-sending me in the wrong direction for a long time apparently…I couldn’t sell a book for eight long years after that-I decided to rewrite and finally release it. In fact, I was going to do something that twenty years ago would have been unheard of and frowned on…self-publish the book myself. With Kindle Direct. For the first time in forty years I was walking away from the traditional publishers and going on my own. Thank you J.A. Konrath’s blog! I figured I could sell the Kindle eBook a lot cheaper and, thus, use it to introduce (as enticement) more readers to my writing and perhaps, if they liked it, they’d buy more of my other novels, novellas and various short stories. It could work, right? So here it is, re-titled, rewritten, updated and with an amazing new cover I love by Dawne Dominque… Dinosaur Lake. I hope my readers will like it.

My Review:

Chief Park Ranger Henry Shore is back and fighting more dinosaurs at Crater Lake National Park. Henry has worked at the park for thirteen years and was around helping to fight the dinosaurs the first time they showed up about five years ago. The first dinosaurs came out of the lake and were fought on the ground. Henry lost some of his best rangers and friends on that horrific day.

The dinosaurs of today fly and are stronger when they are flying than when they are on the ground. Now don’t get me wrong they are still very strong when on the ground. They are bigger and stand taller than any man. Their wings have claws on the end of them and they have fangs. The first one to make an appearance is young but they are growing and will become stronger. They can think and make up plans to fight the humans with. They are very cunning.

After the first flying dinosaur attack Henry is skeptical about calling the authorities. He doesn’t want to cause a pandemic besides who is going to believe him. Even after the dinosaur attack five years ago; sometimes people just don’t believe their own eyes. But after a trolley full of tourist and two of his rangers are snatched off the rim of the carter he realizes he has no choice it is time to call for reinforcements before more people are killed.

Henry does not only have to worry about dinosaurs in his park but he is also having a hard time at home. His wife Ann is having a real bad time with her health and having to go to doctor’s appointments and treatments. Henry wants to be with his wife because he loves her very much and he wants to be there to help support her through her time of need. He is very lucky that he has a wife that is so loving and caring not only for him but everyone else too. She understands and knows that he has to stop the dinosaurs or a lot of people will suffer.

I read Dinosaur Lake and really loved it but I think Dinosaur Lake II: Dinosaurs Arising may be just a tad bit better. It is very hard to say though. Both are filled with excitement, danger and suspense. I loved all the characters and the love and caring they had for each other and what they would all do for the other.

I loved watching the movie Jurassic Park so when I saw Dinosaur Lake I knew I had to read it and I definitely wasn’t disappointed at all.  I loved it so much that I just had to read Dinosaur Lake II and I am so glad I did it was out of this world amazing. Dinosaur Lake II will take you on the ride of your life. I can’t wait to read the next book Dinosaur Lake III: Infestation to see what kind of dinosaurs Kathryn has in store for us and what kind of adventure she is going to take us on next. I would love to see the Dinosaur Lake series on the big screen along with all the characters. If you have not read Dinosaur Lake then I suggest you pick up a copy of Dinosaur Lake and Dinosaur Lake II: Dinosaurs Arising today. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Since childhood I’ve been an artist and worked as a graphic designer in the corporate world and for newspapers for twenty-three years before I quit to write full time. But I’d already begun writing novels at 21, over forty-four years ago now, and have had twenty-two (ten romantic horror, two horror novels, two romantic SF horror, one romantic suspense, one romantic time travel, one historical romance, two thrillers, and four murder mysteries) previous novels, two novellas and twelve short stories published from Zebra Books, Leisure Books, Avalon Books, The Wild Rose Press, Damnation Books/Eternal Press. But I’ve gone into self-publishing in a big way since 2012; and upon getting all my 22 books’ full rights back for the first time in 33 years, have self-published all of them. My Dinosaur Lake novels and Spookie Town Mysteries (Scraps of Paper, All Things Slip Away and Ghosts Beneath Us) are my best-sellers.

I’ve been married to Russell for thirty-eight years; have a son and two grandchildren and I live in a small quaint town in Illinois. We have a quirky cat, Sasha, and the three of us live happily in an old house in the heart of town. Though I’ve been an artist, and a folk/classic rock singer in my youth with my brother Jim, writing has always been my greatest passion, my butterfly stage, and I’ll probably write stories until the day I die…or until my memory goes.

2012 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS *Finalist* for her horror novel The Last Vampire ~ 2014 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS * Finalist * for her thriller novel Dinosaur Lake.

*All Kathryn Meyer Griffith’s books can be found here:

http://tinyurl.com/ld4jlow

*All her Audible.com audio books here:

http://tinyurl.com/oz7c4or

Novels and short stories:

Evil Stalks the Night, The Heart of the Rose, Blood Forged, Vampire Blood, The Last Vampire (2012 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS*Finalist* in their Horror category), Witches, The Nameless One erotic horror short story, The Calling, Scraps of Paper (The First Spookie Town Murder Mystery), All Things Slip Away (The Second Spookie Town Murder Mystery), Ghosts Beneath Us (The Third Spookie Town Murder Mystery), Egyptian Heart, Winter’s Journey, The Ice Bridge, Don’t Look Back, Agnes, A Time of Demons and Angels, The Woman in Crimson, Human No Longer, Four Spooky Short Stories Collection, Forever and Always Romantic Novella, Night Carnival Short Story, Dinosaur Lake (2014 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS*Finalist* in their Thriller/Adventure category), Dinosaur Lake II: Dinosaurs Arising and Dinosaur Lake III: Infestation.

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Promo Blitz: Miracles & Millions Saga by Ella Carmichael @ella_author @RABTBookTours

Romantic Suspense

Date Published: June 2016

Who is Dorothy Lyle?

She’s a woman who appears super-normal at first glance. She resides in a modest house in a small Irish town, and commutes to a typical office. She’s a lone parent who misses her children now that they are at college. Yet Dorothy is so much more than the obvious. She is a powerful psychic who has been masquerading as normal for twenty years. She is also a woman who has been avoiding men since a nasty breakup and divorce left her reeling in shock while still in her twenties.

The winds of change begin to blow around Dorothy as she approaches her fortieth birthday. An unfortunate affair of the heart means that her daughter, Diane, has distanced herself from her former home and doting mother. Dorothy wonders if some extra cash might alleviate the immediate problem.

Enter the lottery and one hundred and eight-five million tax free dollars.

How easy do you think it is to hide your true self when you unexpectedly become the fortieth richest woman in your own small country? How feasible do you think it is to avoid all dating and romantic involvements when you are single, and literally rolling in cash? How practical do you think it is to stay safe when so many of those around you seem to resent your good fortune?

This box set contains the following three books:

DOROTHY LYLE IN AVARICE – BOOK 1. Join Dorothy on the first leg of her rollercoaster journey as she discovers what an emotionally charged and complicated experience dealing with unexpected wealth can be. Clairvoyance may in handy on occasion, but it doesn’t help you decide who gets what!

DOROTHY LYLE IN COLOUR – BOOK 2. Relax with Dorothy as she begins to truly enjoy her wealth and changes in fortune. Only for her new-found pleasure to be jeopardised by a tarot card reading of all things! Once again, change is afoot, although this time it’s of a sinister nature.

DOROTHY LYLE IN HELP – BOOK 3. Watch what happens when Dorothy concedes that she cannot protect herself alone, and sets out to hire professional help. Ever wondered what it would be like to come face to face with your other half? The half you weren’t fully aware was even missing. And if he happened to be in a bad mood at that momentous moment, do you think it might colour your judgement? Read on, folks, and find out the answers to these questions and about a hundred more.

MIRACLES AND MILLIONS: TWO MINDS, TWO BODIES, TWO HEARTS, ONE SOUL

EXCERPT

Even though Glenda’s bedroom was on the lower level of the Falcon apartment, the bloodcurdling scream from the twelfth floor was so loud, it instantly woke her. Fearful that the Sick Puppy had invaded the apartment, she sat bolt upright and switched on her bedside lamp.

Thinking only of Dorothy and with scant regard for her own safety, she leaped out of bed and rammed her feet into a pair of furry pink slippers. She glanced around for something to use as a weapon, but the only thing she spotted was a curling tongs. She grabbed it and bolted for the door.

There was a security light glowing in the hallway when she emerged from her room. All appeared well on this floor and was deathly quiet. Glenda sprinted up the stairs in a way she had not done since she was fifty and paused at the top, listening for intruders. Silence reigned. Terrified of what she was walking into, she made her way to Dorothy’s bedroom, her feet padding softly on the hardwood floors as she went. She made sure the hall light was fully on, then tapped on the door. Receiving no reply, she pushed it open, her pulse beating so rapidly she was sure she was going to have a heart attack.

In the half-light from the hallway, Glenda saw Dorothy sitting upright in bed. Her face was flushed, and sweat was trickling down her forehead. She was silent and her eyes stared sightlessly at the housekeeper. Willing herself to remain calm, Glenda put down the curling tongs and slowly approached her boss, not knowing if she was awake or asleep.

She turned on the bedside light and dimmed it to a soft glow. She doublet checked to ensure there was nobody else in the room then scampered into the en-suite. She ran a washcloth under the cold tap, picked up a second one from the clean supply and trotted back to the bedroom. Dorothy had not moved a muscle in her absence. Using the damp cloth, Glenda gently wiped away the rivulets of perspiration, then dried her employer’s face with the spare cloth.

‘Everything’s okay now, Boss,’ she said softly, as she wiped. ‘It was only a bad dream.’

‘He’s in trouble, Glen,’ Dorothy sounded calm as she replied. ‘They’re trying to kill him.’

‘No, no, Boss,’ the housekeeper did her best not to burst into tears. ‘You’re the one who’s in danger. Don’t worry, we’re not going to let anything happen to you. Why don’t you lie down now?’

Dorothy obediently lay back on her pillows. Her eyes were wide open and her pupils fully dilated. Glenda was not sure if the other woman even knew she was in the room with her.

‘I’m going to sit here until you fall asleep,’ the housekeeper said reassuringly. ‘Close your eyes, Boss. You need your rest. We have a big weekend ahead of us.’

The words sounded totally inane to her ears, although they seemed to do the trick. Dorothy moved her hand until it rested on her heart then slowly closed her eyes.

‘So much blood,’ she murmured. ‘I think he got away this time, but it was a narrow escape.’

‘I’m sure he’s fine,’ Glenda replied helplessly. ‘Try not to think about blood. Think about the lovely new house. Is it true you’re getting a waterbed?’

‘A waterbed,’ Dorothy sighed dreamily. ‘Big enough for a basketball team. Wait until you see it, Glen.’

‘I can’t wait,’ the housekeeper replied truthfully. ‘Bel mentioned a rotisserie, although I expect she was teasing me. She’s naughty like that.’

‘You’re going to love that too,’ Dorothy whispered sleepily. ‘Goodnight, Glen. Sleep well.’

‘Goodnight, Boss,’ the housekeeper replied, as she dashed away a tear.

Dorothy’s breathing changed and Glenda knew she was asleep. There was a wing-backed chair in the corner of the room. She dragged it closer to the bed and made herself comfortable. 

‘I’ll sit here for twenty minutes in case you have another dream,’ she told the sleeping form. Dorothy was blissfully unaware of the worry she was causing the other woman and slept on. This time she dreamed of flying.

About the Author

Ella Carmichael was born in Ireland in the 1960's, but only toyed with writing when she was young. Toyed might be too kind. She goofed about with a pen and paper when she was a child and teenager, but never wrote anything longer than a silly poem. She says, "You really have to fight for your dreams in this life, and I didn't fight for mine. The thought of doing so never even crossed my mind back then."

From the age of 20 she worked in offices, and often used to ask herself if there might be more to life than the daily grind. This is one of the few things that she has in common with Dorothy Lyle, the main character of her series, The Miracles and Millions Saga. Dorothy is cheesed off with the 9-5 life and hopes for more. Little does she realize what's around the corner. Be careful what you wish for! 

Ella got the idea for M&M back in 2010. There was lottery fever all over Europe that autumn, yet at the same time there were photographs appearing in the papers that showed hundreds of individuals standing in line for free lunches at the Bow Street mission house in Dublin. It was hard for her to make sense of it all, yet somehow she knew it was important.

She was in a very bad place in her life in 2010, after ending a relationship with a most unsuitable man. Figuring that she had little to lose, she began to write as a form of therapy. Carmicheal tends to be a dabbler by nature, yet when it came to writing she found she was as focused as one of those drones we hear so much about. It took more than thirty years to do it, but she became a writer in the end. Ella hopes any budding authors who are reading this will draw inspiration from that. It's never to late to give it your best shot.

Once the die was cast, characters literally began to materialize in front of her. The strongest back then was Dorothy, although it certainly didn't stop with her. The Maddox character appeared over her bed one morning in a cloud of dry white ice. In the earlier drafts, Jack was very much the iceman, but Ella decided to soften him up and make him fall madly in love. Just because. It progressed from there. More and more characters began to show up and soon she had a series on her hands instead of just one book. 

Publishers and agents aren't interested in a series unless the writer follows a number of very strict criteria. Carmichael has broken those rules. Her books are best read in order. The story progresses in each one, and spans the two year period between January 2011 and December 2012.

Once she understood that no publisher would touch her, she decided to go it alone. She felt she was too old to sit around and wait for a letter that will never drop onto the doormat. She signed up with KDP and uploaded every completed manuscript. At the time of writing this bio she has not yet uploaded Book 10. She is struggling to let it go...

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Book Blitz + #Giveaway: Shadowed by Ken Hughes @TheKenHughes @JaidisShaw

Title:  Shadowed

Author:   Ken Hughes

Published:   February 6, 2012

Publisher:   Windward Road Press

Genre:  Paranormal Thriller

Synopsis:

He can hear a whisper a block away… and can’t remember why.

Open your mind, to a city where mystery chases up and down office back stairways, turns brother against brother, and plays out on frozen sidewalks where lives may be shattered if the enemy even looks at the ragged man passing by in the crowd—and even that man cannot guess what memory will be next to batter his mind.

Paul was no detective, no thief, only a student trying to get some distance from his father and brother. When he found himself marked by the power to enhance his senses, he had only that treacherous gift and what few tricks he dared to teach himself, to search for some explanation—or at least the chance to give it meaning by exposing a few petty corruptions.

Paul thought if he lived in poverty to keep his existence secret from the world, at least nobody could force him to use that gift as a weapon against others. But just when he thought he was untouchable, the last thing he expected shakes his world and drags him into the perils of his family, his power, and two women who each have a different claim on his life.

As Paul begins to play cat and mouse with enemies he can’t even name, he must break every rule that’s kept him alive, in every frantic chase and every gamble he makes to break his family free. And all the while, he knows his greatest enemy may still be what lies behind his own secrets.

If you think you know everything a paranormal thriller can do, take a closer look.

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Excerpt from Shadowed by Ken Hughes:

Paul gritted his teeth. Gripping the metal piece as firmly as he could through the glove, he Opened to the shape in the shadows along the window, fighting to ignore the two memories so he could just see the wires, know the distance…

In one move, he reached down through the broken pane to stab the metal’s edge into the wood below, pressing its length between the sensors at just the proper angle. Nothing snapped, no alarm blared… and he yanked his hand back up as the dog snapped at him.

The metal stayed in place. He tried to Open his hearing to follow if the electrical path had changed, but all he heard were Quinn’s words and the dog’s thwarted growls.

Time to find out.

The dog watched his every motion now, so he took the last pigeon from his box and slid it through the hole. The dog barked as the bird fluttered by, but this time, it turned right back to the window as Paul reached in again to flip the latch.

He pulled his hand back in time, but the dog kept barking, and Paul could only hope the guard was still sick of false alarms. And that the other alarm here…

The window slid up, just three inches for now. No bells rang, but the dog snarled and snapped just beyond that gap.

And Paul raised the pet store’s spray bottle and squirted cleaning fluid into its face.

The dog yelped and pulled back, giving Paul a moment to fling the window up. As the dog started toward him again, he gave it another spray, then caught up the bird net and flung it over the beast.

Paul grabbed the bottle again and leaped through, into the room.

A few desks and cabinets stretched around him in the dim light. He turned back to see the dog already shaking off the thin net, as expected. He stepped back and pumped the spray as the dog charged—but it squirted once and then the trigger clicked in without pumping any liquid. He back-pedaled and pumped more slowly, but now the spray only made the dog flinch back a moment.

The inner door’s this way—Paul took a step, and his hip bashed the edge of a desk. The dog lunged.

He spun around the desk and threw himself at the door. For one frozen moment, he wondered if he’d ever heard the guard open it. What if it’s locked? Then he seized the handle and wrenched it open, which sent a spasm through his injured arm.

As he stepped through, the dog came up behind him. Paul ducked sideways and gave the spray bottle trigger one hard squeeze. The spray drove the dog back only a step, and Paul pumped wildly, felt the trigger catch on nothing—He smashed the bottle into the animal’s head, knocked the dog away, then leapt back out through the door and slammed it shut.

Gasping for breath, he listened to the dog’s muted barking for a moment. The spray bottle had split open in his hand, and he set the its remains quietly on the floor.

Paul looked past the desks to the office’s little file cabinet and then marched back to slide the window shut and gather up the net. That left him in the space between the alarms, with the dog trapped, and the guard tired of checking out all these noises.

“Alright, what now?” the guard growled, as the outer door’s lock clicked open. Paul dropped flat, behind a desk just as the light came on.

About the Author:

Ken Hughes is an urban fantasy writer living in Los Angeles, author of Shadowed and the upcoming The High Road. He’s also done technical writing for missions to Mars, and blogs about writing and genres at www.KenHughesAuthor.com.

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Giveaway Details:

There is a tour wide giveaway. Prizes include the following:

• 2 mobi copies of Shadowed by Ken Hughes

Giveaway is International.

Ends July 12th at 11:59 PM EDT

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